Can You Grow Queen Palms In Pots: Tips For Potted Queen Palm Care

Native to South America, the queen palm is an attractive, stately palm tree with a smooth, straight trunk and feathery, arching fronds. Although queen palm is suitable for growing outdoors in USDA zones 9 through 11, gardeners in cooler climates can grow queen palms indoors. When grown indoors, a queen palm in a container is sure to lend the room an elegant, tropical feel. Read on to learn more about growing queen palm houseplants.

Container Grown Queen Palm Plants Tips

Caring for queen palm in a container is relatively straightforward as long as you meet its basic needs. When growing queen palms, make sure your potted queen palm gets plenty of bright light, but avoid intense sunlight that may scorch the leaves. Water queen palm when the top of the potting mix feels dry to the touch. Water slowly until moisture drips through the drainage hole, then allow the pot to drain thoroughly. Never allow queen palm to stand in water. Fertilize queen palm in pots every four months between spring and summer, using a palm fertilizer or a slow-release, all-purpose plant food. Don’t over-feed as too much fertilizer can cause leaf tips and edges to turn brown. Pruning the palm includes trimming off dead fronds at their base, using sterile pruners or garden scissors. It’s normal for outer fronds to die as the plant matures, but don’t prune fronds in the center of the canopy and don’t remove leaves until they’re brown and brittle. Palms take in nutrients from old fronds, even when they’ve burned brown. Repot a container-grown queen palm into a slightly larger pot when you notice signs it has outgrown its pot, such as roots growing through the drainage hole or on the surface of the potting mix. If the plant is badly rootbound, water will run straight through without being absorbed. Treat any palm scale with insecticidal soap formulated for indoor plants.